George Irving Bell facts for kids

George Irving Bell (born August 4, 1926 – died May 28, 2000) was an American scientist. He was a smart physicist, a clever biologist, and a brave mountaineer. He passed away in 2000.

His School Days

George Bell went to Harvard University and earned a degree in physics in 1947. He then studied advanced physics, called theoretical physics, at Cornell University. His teacher was a famous scientist named Hans Bethe. George earned his highest degree, a doctorate, in 1951.

Working with Physics

Right after finishing his studies, George Bell started working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This lab is a very important science center. He joined a special team called the "T Division."

At that time, this team was working on designing the first thermonuclear weapon. These are very powerful devices. George helped by solving tough problems about how tiny particles called neutrons move around.

Understanding how neutrons move is also super important for designing nuclear reactors. These are machines that create energy. Because of his work, George became a top expert on how reactors work. He even wrote a book about it called Nuclear Reactor Theory.

Discoveries in Biology

In the 1960s, George Bell became interested in biology. He started creating mathematical models to understand the body's immune system. This system protects us from sickness.

From 1974 to 1990, he led the Theoretical Biology and Biophysics group at Los Alamos. He also used math to study how living things work.

In 1988, he helped start the Center for Human Genome Studies. This center became a big part of the Human Genome Project. This project aimed to map out all the genes in humans. George was the director for one year. He retired from Los Alamos in 1990 but kept working with the lab until 1999.

George wrote over 100 science papers. He also helped edit two books: Theoretical Immunology (1978) and Computers and DNA (1989).

Amazing Mountain Climbs

George Bell loved climbing mountains and was very good at it. He took part in some of the most famous American climbing trips in the 1950s and 1960s. He started climbing in high school in the Tetons. He was also active in the Harvard Mountaineering Club.

In the 1940s, he was the first to climb four peaks near Mount Waddington in British Columbia. He also climbed in the Tetons, the Wind River Range, and the Cascades.

Climbing in Peru

George then looked for bigger challenges. In 1950, he organized a trip to Yerupajá in Peru. This mountain is 21,769 feet (6,635 m) tall. It is one of the hardest and most dangerous peaks in the Andes mountains. George did not reach the very top, but he climbed to 20,600 ft (6,300 m).

He went back to Peru in 1952. This time, he was the first to climb another tough peak called Salcantay. He made two more important trips to Peru in 1954 and 1956.

Expeditions to the Karakoram

George also climbed in the Karakoram mountains in Pakistan. He was part of two very famous trips there. In 1953, he joined an expedition to K2, the second highest mountain in the world. During an attempt to reach the top, George and four other climbers fell. Luckily, another climber named Pete Schoening stopped their fall. This was an amazing rescue!

George went on several more trips to the Himalayas. In 1960, he was the first to climb Masherbrum. This mountain is the 22nd highest peak in the world.

George's son, who is also named George, is also a climber.